Forbidden
by AshleySwift13
Summary: After discovering that his true mother is Nerissa, Caleb sets off to Mount Thanos to confront her. But, what if, Nerissa uses him and turns him against the guardians? Rewritten and AU. Cornelia/Caleb.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, fanfiction. I decided to rewrite "Forbidden" to make it more interesting and because some elements of the story were confusing for me. I made quite a few mistakes, which I am terribly sorry for. Hopefully, this version will make up for my stupidity. **

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**Chapter 1: And so it begins**

The Infinite City

Julian sat alone, deep in thought about his son, Caleb. He had some shocking news to tell him that had been burning in his mind for a few days. The old man was the former rebel leader, before Queen Elyon had been placed on her rightful throne. Julian was very proud of him, and had seen Caleb morph into a fine warrior.

"Father, is everything alright?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Caleb slumping down next to him. He had messy dark brown hair which hung just above his green eyes. He was strong and well built, with broad shoulders. His long, brown trench coat only intensified his body.

"Yes, son." Julian's voice was the least bit convincing, as Caleb raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a quizzical look. The old man sighed as he turned the other way. Caleb was the first to break the rare awkward silence that passed between them.

"Alright, something's definitely wrong because you've been distant for the past couple of days. Has there been another attack from Nerissa?"

At the mention of her name, Julian tensed. Nerissa was the evil sorceress that had managed to gain control of most of the large army of Meridian. This ranged from lurdens, a few beastly creatures, to even a few warriors. Her main goal was to capture Hearts of different worlds and use them for her own advantage. The people of Meridian were afraid that she would soon capture Queen Elyon, leaving Meridian without a practical ruler. Nerissa's hunger for power and authority made Julian uncomfortable, but this was not all. He had found himself once in love with her and she had given him none other than the rebel leader himself. The young man, however, did not know of this.

"Father?"

Julian mentally scowled at his nerves and turned to face him. There was no way of avoiding the subject, and so after what felt like hours, he placed a hand on Caleb's arm.

"Caleb, we need to talk."

"About?"

His father lowered his gaze, and his head slowly descended, "About your mother."

Caleb looked taken back by the sudden subject and cocked his head slightly, "...Okay."

He had no idea what was about to be revealed, but felt unusually nervous at his father's low tone of voice, his words in only a whisper.

"I...There is no easy way to say this..."

Caleb furrowed his brows together, his expression completely emotionless, "I don't understand."

Julian stole a glance at him and Caleb continued to stare at him as if it would speed up the talk.

"Uh, you were saying?"

"Right, sorry." Julian turned back to face him, and spoke up, "Caleb, the mage...died 18 years ago."

Caleb frowned slightly, not wanting to show any emotion of the death of his mother. It was a subject that both father and son had never really talked about, and, instead, would keep all family matters at a low profile. He was, deep down, hurting for their loss, but never dared to show any sentiment – if it were to jeopardise the tough facade he would constantly place upon himself.

"What has this got to do with...?"

The older man stood up, and paced around the room, trying to get this over with. It wouldn't be easy for either of them. He suddenly came to a halt and looked directly into his son's eyes, "Caleb, the mage...is not your mother."

Caleb instantly froze at his words and looked up at Julian from his seat, through a double take. He didn't know how to react to the situation – to take it lightly, or to just assume that he hadn't heard right. He felt a rush of feelings pass through him, all of which were screaming at him to react differently.

"W-What are you-?"

Julian's voice darkened as he cut him off, "This is the truth, Caleb. I didn't know how to tell you-"

"I don't believe this!" Caleb stood up and levelled their eyes together. He watched his father's regretful look through his eyes, blazing with anger.

Julian reluctantly lifted his head up and reached out for Caleb. He had never seen him so agitated before, and it nerved him. "Calm down, son-"

"Calm down?!" Caleb retorted, stepping out of his reach. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, a bitter look on his face.

Julian sensed his aggravation and tried to sympathise with him, managing to croak out an apology, "I'm...Sorry..."

Caleb spun around to face him, and noticed the honest look of remorse on his father's face. For a moment, he just stared at him and finally, he relaxed a little, taking the situation a lot more civilised.

"How long?" his voice was in a whisper, and Julian's head snapped up after realising his son's anger had subsided. His tone of voice, however, remained plain and showed no emotion.

Julian choked on his words, until Caleb repeated himself. "How long have you _known_?"

The older man looked down, and for once, saw a very emotional side to his son. Shame contaminated his heart as he looked down at his feet, "That's...not important."

"You're right..." Caleb mused after a short silence. Sudden realisation hit him, and he turned to his father with a low voice. "Who...?"

Julian felt his heart racing. If Caleb felt this angry after realising his father had lied to him about the mage, then the old man did _not_ want to know how he'd react to what was coming.

He breathed deeply before looking directly at Caleb. There was no point avoiding the subject now; honesty was the only way. Caleb, his son who tried with every bit of compassion to fight for his home world, at least deserved that.

"Nerissa is your mother."

Caleb felt like he had stopped breathing. He had expected his father to talk about someone completely different, a normal person, but _this, _this was something he had never expected. Something he didn't – _couldn't_ – possibly comprehend. He wore an unreadable expression for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, but closed it again. There was no use. There was no use in yelling at his father, because it wouldn't change the fact that he had the evil sorceress's blood running through his veins. It wouldn't change the fact that, ironically, he was leading the army _against_ her, the woman who gave birth to him.

Instead, Caleb just continued to stare at his father with an empty expression, before he took a few steps back, and walked out the room, slamming the door behind him.

Heatherfield

Will, Irma, Taranee and Cornelia stood outside the 'Silver Dragon', waiting for Hay Lin to finish one of her shifts. They were all going to see the new Vance Michael Justin movie, which Cornelia had persuaded them to come and see.

Only yesterday had they found out about their powers, and had gone and practised using them. This didn't exactly turn out so well, and had resulted in a few bruises and scratches. They all agreed that they needed a small break, until they resumed back and finally went on their first trip to Meridian.

Cornelia sighed impatiently, tapping her foot against the ground. She faced the large back doors of the restaurant and called out, "Hay Lin, come on! The movie's about to start!"

Irma was next to Will, who stood with her arms folded. The water guardian smirked at the blonde, "Yeah, we wouldn't want Corny to miss out on an opportunity to drool at the love of her life!"

"Don't call me Corny!" was the immediate response, along with the earth guardian pointing an accusing finger only a few spaces between Irma's face.

Taranee rolled her eyes as if this was the umpteenth time she had witnessed one of their arguments, "Here we go..."

Will snickered, and jumped slightly, once a clanging of dishes was heard from inside the restaurant. Irma and Cornelia immediately stopped bickering, and the girls all turned to the doors, to see Hay Lin wiping sweat off of her forehead and panting. She wore a stained apron and hat.

"Hay Lin!"

Her father's voice bellowed from inside the building, and Irma couldn't help but grin at the air guardian. Hay Lin's eyes widened as she tossed the apron and hat inside the restaurant and replied back hastily, "Uh, I'm going out with the girls! I'll be home in a few hours, bye!"

Her father muttered loudly and incoherently, and Hay Lin was about to re-enter the building to help clear the mess she had made, if Cornelia hadn't started dragging her from the arm.

"Whoa!" Hay Lin managed to let out a yelp, as the other three girls all hurried along with the blonde.

"Hay Lin, what took you so long?" Cornelia exclaimed, as she looked down at her watch, and loosened her grip.

"Are you kidding?", Will began, "Didn't you just hear all that noise from inside?"

Taranee nodded her head in agreement and noted, "This is the third time you've had a triple shift."

Hay Lin sighed and her face turned into a pout, "I know, you guys. It's just that one of the workers quit on us a few days ago, and my parents need me to help out more often."

"I'm sorry, I would offer to help but I don't think my mom would exactly be okay with it. Ever since we found out about our powers and all, things have been a bit crazy." Will sighed.

Irma noticed Cornelia almost running ahead of them and called after her, "Hey, Corny, would you slow down a bit?"

Cornelia only rolled her eyes and continued walking. As soon as Will was babbling on further behind, the blonde's thoughts took a different direction.

Only a few weeks had passed since Cornelia had first dreamed of a tall, handsome boy. He had dark brown hair and deep green eyes, which made butterflies erupt in her stomach. She was standing so close to him, as he held onto her arms. The moment felt perfect. His breath was intoxicating, brushing against her cheek, as he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face up, for their eyes to meet.

Sadly, Cornelia was highly convinced that he couldn't possibly be real. She would always mistake his face for a stranger on the road, but she finally stopped looking out for him.

The earth guardian stopped thinking about the mysterious boy of her dreams, as she turned to see the girls catching up to her.

"Hey Will!"

Will's eyes widened and she turned to see Matt walking over to her. She could feel herself blushing furiously. He flashed a warm smile, as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Hi, M-Matt."

"We'll be ahead." Irma smirked at Will, as the other girls left the pair alone.

Hay Lin giggled as soon as they were out of earshot, "Oh, they are so cute together!"

"You think every couple is cute together..." muttered Taranee.

Hay Lin was quick to retort, "You mean like you and Nigel?" she wriggled her eyebrows together, after noticing the flush on Taranee's cheeks.

"Hay Lin!" she exclaimed, while Irma and Cornelia busted up into laughter.

Before Taranee could start arguing with Hay Lin, Will came rushing up behind them, squealing in delight. She placed her arms around the two, "You guys – Matt asked me out on a date!"

"I knew it!" Cornelia exclaimed, a smile tugging on her lips.

"Will, I'm so happy for you!" Hay Lin said, as Will sighed in content.

Irma rolled her eyes, as her attention turned to their destination, "Oh, I guess we're here."

This time, it was Cornelia who squealed in delight. "VMJ, here I come!"

**A/N: Well, there's my first chapter for my story, which I hadn't opened in my computer for about two months or so...**

**The next chapter has already been put up! I hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Duty Calls**

The Infinite City

Caleb hurried across the shady, green hallways of the Infinite City, as he lifted open the door and peered around outside. He could hear footsteps and hazy calls of his name coming from behind, but he didn't even stop to glance back at them. His firm expression remained on his face as he slammed the door shut, ending the noises coming from inside. His feet took him across the woods and past a swamp, where a certain green and smelly passling was in the middle of devouring a pile of junk, or as he liked to call them, 'treasures'.

"Blunk, I need you to-"

Caleb was interrupted by a smashing of glass and garbage falling across the floor, as Blunk raised his head and turned his attention to the voice.

"-Open a fold to Mount Thanos."

Blunk was about to protest, until he noticed the serious look on Caleb's face, and he immediately obliged. He held out a golden talisman – the Tonga Tooth – and sliced the air in one swift movement, creating a swirl of blue.

Without anything to say, Caleb nodded and was immediately transported to the set location. Blunk blinked a few times before he also decided to step through the fold, and only a few minutes away from their destination.

The Infinite City

Julian paced back and forth in his room, anticipating any news of Caleb's whereabouts. He was hoping that his son had only gone outside to clear his head or think things through logically. Julian had almost searched the entire underground hideout, but after no sign of him, he decided that it was best to leave him alone for a while. After a few minutes of thinking over the events of the day, he was interrupted by a steady knock on the door.

"Julian?"

Drake's head peered through the entrance, as he glanced in worry at Caleb's father.

"Drake, you haven't come across Caleb today, have you?"

Drake shook his head. He was blond and well built – just like Caleb – and was working alongside the other men to take down Nerissa and protect their Queen from any danger.

"Only this morning, before he came to see you." He was about to turn away, when he noticed the frustrated look on Julian's face. "Why, what's happened?"

Mount Thanos

Blunk was very confused. He had been following Caleb around for only a few minutes, but he had no idea why he had wanted to be transported to a place with bitter, cold wind and snow everywhere.

Caleb could sense the passling a fairly long distance behind him, as he stopped and glanced at the tall peak. "Go home, Blunk."

Blunk tilted his head in confusion, before hopping closer. "Caleb no want to come back?"

Caleb, who was now already gripping the side of the mountain with both his hands, spared him a glance, before turning his attention back to climbing. He was already at around thirteen feet above the ground when he replied. "I'll find a way."

Blunk opened his mouth as he watched him climb further and further away. It was a long way up, and he was no doubt afraid that Caleb would somehow end up falling straight to his death. He gulped as he placed a shaky foot on the side of the mountain, and grabbed hold of it. His attention turned to a few rocks falling from the top, a result of Caleb reaching the weakest parts from above.

Blunk was certainly not going to leave Caleb on his own, whether he liked it or not.

Mount Thanos

Nerissa smirked wickedly, her back turned to the entrance of her cave. It was the only place in Meridian that was really hers; there was no one else calling the shots here. The realisation that she was finally the one in charge – even if it was in a damp cave – made her heart race.

She held up her staff and gazed cynically at the image of the rebel leader struggling against the steepness and dangers of her mountain. Her lips shot up in a slight curve.

She felt the ground shake as a number of feet and armour clanked their way across to her.

"Mistress, shall we get rid of him?"

Nerissa turned to face one of her lurdens, who had an aggressive look on his face. He grinned fearlessly at his desired task ahead inside the staff.

She watched as the group chuckled bitterly, rubbing their hands together, each lusting the taste of violence. Nerissa raised her hand and the group immediately quietened down, as she began.

"I'll handle this."

She motioned her head towards the other side of the cave as a sign of dismissal. The lurdens blinked at each other in confusion, but not one dared to question their mistress' commands. They hurriedly left and hid in the shadows of the large cave.

As soon as they were out of sight, Nerissa turned around and dropped her gaze on to the side of the mountain, where a pair of hands were gripped tightly on. She stepped forward expectedly as Caleb propelled himself forward and almost collapsed in exhaustion at the surface of the cave.

"Caleb. What a lovely surprise."

The rebel leader frowned at her as he stood up, eye to eye.

"I'm glad I stopped by, _mother._"

Heatherfield 

Irma's eyes widened in excitement. She stuffed another large handful of popcorn into her mouth, spilling a few bits of food over her clothes. Her face lit up as the cinema screen projected across her features.

She turned to her right to see Cornelia leaning her elbow on the arm rest, and her cheek against the palm of her hand. The blonde sighed as she gazed at the brown haired actor on the screen, earning an eyebrow raise from Irma.

The water guardian turned to her left to see Will trying to hide something glowing under her jacket.

Irma whispered furiously at her, "Will! You're not supposed to have cell phones out during the movie!"

Will glanced up at her and shook her head, replying in the same manner, "It's not my cell phone! It's the Heart!"

Taranee's head popped up from Will's other side, after overhearing the conversation. "What? Is there any trouble?" She put down her drink and leaned in closer.

Will shrugged, before coating the necklace with her fingers, "I guess we'll have to find out. We need to see Mrs Lin."

Hay Lin turned her head from Cornelia's side – blocking her view – after hearing her grandma's name, only to be shoved away by Cornelia's free hand. The air guardian frowned before peeking across at the other three girls through the back of her seat. "Why do we need to see grandma?"

"The Heart's acting up. We need to get out of here, before anyone sees it."

Hay Lin nodded at Will, as the three girls rushed out of the building. Hay Lin stood up and glanced back at Cornelia, who, surprisingly, hadn't heard a word the others had said. She rolled her eyes before dragging the blonde by the arm, and grinning after realising how Cornelia had dragged her here in the first place.

"Hay Lin, what are you doing!?" Cornelia hushed fiercely, as she gained control over her walking and yanked her arm away. They were now outside the two doors, and Cornelia crossed her arms and planted her feet securely on the ground.

Hay Lin turned back and began her explanation, "If you weren't so busy dreaming about Vance Michael Justin, you would have overheard our conversation about the Heart!"

Cornelia pursed her lips together, a frown forming on her face. "What about the Heart?"

"We don't know, but I'm pretty sure that grandma does."

Cornelia groaned in frustration, before shaking her head. She turned back to glance at the large screen, now projecting 45 minutes into the movie. Turning back to face the air guardian, she pouted and opened her mouth to rant about the situation, only to be interrupted by Irma, who now appeared near the hallway.

"Corny, what are you waiting for? We need to leave."

Cornelia frowned at the nickname, but remained silent as the three ran ahead, catching up to Will and Taranee. They were only about a block away from the restaurant, when they noticed a large van pulling up outside 'The Silver Dragon', along with a pile of boxes. Yan Lin appeared from inside, and her attention turned from the delivery to the guardians, who were almost out of breath.

After noticing the stern look on their faces, she immediately recognised that there was a problem. "Girls, meet me downstairs."

**A/N: That concludes chapter 2! Thank you so much for reading. If you have any questions, then feel free to let me know through a review or PM. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Commands**

Mount Thanos

Nerissa's eyes hovered over her son. He stood transfixed on the spot, frowning at her.

Suddenly, he exploded.

"I know everything! You...and...My father-"

"Oh, Julian? What a pity that he hid this from _you."_

She smirked as his mouth hung open. He was speechless – there was no comeback, no insult, or even a simple emotion etched on his face. Instead, all that happened was that he suddenly felt his body fall to the ground.

Confusion filled his every pore, as Caleb tried his best to keep his eyes open.

Instead, he was welcomed with darkness.

* * *

Mount Thanos

Blunk's eyes widened in disbelief. His head was sticking out from the entrance of Nerissa's cave, and he had just witnessed the short yet horrific encounter between Caleb and..._His mother?_

Realisation hit him in the face as he stood up properly, shaking in the cold, but mostly in terror. His eyes darted around him, the snow-white landscape surrounding the mountain making him feel even more terrified.

Without a second thought, he gripped the Tonga Tooth from around his neck and folded himself to safety – the fortress of Candracar.

* * *

Heatherfield

"What's...happening to it?"

Will took off the Heart from around her neck and held it in front of her, for the others to see. The girls all gazed at the mysterious glow being emitted by the necklace.

The door to the basement opened, revealing a nervous looking Yan Lin. "Girls, what brings you all here?"

"Something's wrong with the Heart..." Will muttered under her breath.

Yan Lin began her explanation, "This will probably be happening a lot. The Heart can be used to communicate from Candracar to the guardians if there is an emergency."

Hay Lin bit her lip, "So, something's wrong?"

Taranee squinted her eyes and levelled her gaze with the Heart. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she moved her head back in disbelief. "Who is _that_?"

The girls all stopped discussing the possibilities of what could be wrong and turned to face the fire guardian. She was pointing towards an image of a middle-aged man. His face was being projected through the pink glow of the crystal.

Yan Lin wore a worried expression on her face, "That is the rebel leader's father." She paused, just to make sure if she had seen it right. "I'm afraid there is something wrong in Meridian. Girls, you must leave for the Infinite City immediately."

"Works for me." Irma nodded, "But, let's hope that we don't end up falling in a pile of mud and displeasing her majesty." The water guardian glanced over at the blonde, smirking at her own joke.

Cornelia rolled her eyes, remembering their first visit to Meridian. They had to close a portal a few blocks away from the restaurant, and Hay Lin ended up getting too close and falling right through to the other side. The girls had rushed behind her, resulting in them falling head-first into a swamp. This didn't pass too well with Cornelia, and she had screamed in disgust at being covered from head to toe in dirt.

"Don't worry, girls. The Heart of Candracar will lead you the way." Yan Lin said, snapping them out of their thoughts.

Will nodded, before she created a fold with the flick of her wrist. She turned back to Yan Lin, "We'll try our best to help."

The ex-air guardian nodded in response, "Stay safe, girls."

* * *

Mount Thanos

Caleb lay in tranquil and unconsciousness on the side of the cave. Nerissa walked over to him and watched as his chest rose ever so slowly at his breathing. Grinning, she turned and walked over to the side of the mountain. Staring out at the horizon, she began to ponder her plan of action.

Now that she had their leader in her grasp, the rebellion stood less of a chance in finally defeating her once and for all.

Her senses heightened as Caleb made an incoherent sound from across the cave. His eyes fluttered open and close. Feeling the drowsiness begin to overcome his body, he fought as hard as he could to sit up.

A wicked grin crept up on Nerissa's face as she slowly took a few steps towards him.

"It's such a shame that he hadn't told you until now."

Caleb perked up at her voice, the events of the last half an hour sinking back into his memory.

The old hag continued, feeling the desire to dominate the situation. "If Julian couldn't be honest with you about something as simple as me being your mother..."

She paused, turning her back to face him.

"...What makes you think that he hasn't lied to you before?"

The rebel leader frowned and slowly stood up, still not fully able to control his weak limbs.

He replied, through gritted teeth. "My father only did what was best for me!"

She could feel excitement generating in her body. Creating a facade of pity, she turned to face him.

"It must be hard for you, son."

Caleb blinked in confusion, wondering where she was headed to in her conversation.

"For all your life you have been taken advantage of. A great responsibility has burdened your existence as the rebel leader and-"

"It is my duty to protect the people of Meridian." He narrowed his eyes at her.

Sensing his stubbornness, she continued. "Your _duty_ is only for the people around you?" She paused, taking a moment to analyse the situation.

Now was her chance.

"What about the duty you yearn for...for _yourself_?"

* * *

Meridian

Hay Lin glided through the air, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by freedom. Ironically, though, she was currently on her way to her first real mission as a guardian.

The burden of holding such a great task on the weight of their shoulders hadn't really sunk in as of yet – they had only discovered their duty as guardians a few days ago and since then, their lives had yet remained uneventful.

Will suddenly came to a halt, with the girls behind almost crashing into her.

"Will, what's wrong?" Taranee asked, sensing their leader's frown.

The red head looked down at the Heart that was tugging at her in the direction of, what looked like, deserted land. "Does...does this seem like the right place?"

Irma noticed the isolated ground and grinned, trying to ease the situation. "Maybe that thing is low on batteries?" She pointed towards the Heart around Will's neck.

"Irma, this is no time for jokes!" Cornelia glared at the water guardian, before pausing and muttering under her breath. "Let's just get this over with."

"Cornelia!" Will exclaimed, as she darted behind her. "We have to stick together as a team!"

The earth guardian landed gracefully on the ground, eyeing her surroundings. Barrels filled the dried land – dozens of them. She walked over to one and inspected the contents, kneeling down and creaking open the lid. It was empty, but an aroma of some sort of food poured out.

She turned to face the others, noticing that they were all doing the same. "Someone was definitely here and, by the looks of it, there were a _lot_ of them."

Will stood up, almost forgetting about the Heart of Candracar directing them towards the rebel leader's father.

"Guys!"

She motioned for them to follow and the girls all observed the crystal stop outside of what appeared to be wooden crate, half buried in the ground.

"_That's_ where we're supposed to be?" Irma said. "Inside a box...?"

Taranee shrugged, before realising that she was able to open it up. It was surprisingly heavy to lift, but once she did, she threw it open – revealing an unknown flight of stairs.

* * *

**A/N: That concludes chapter 3! **

**Nerissa is trying her best to manipulate Caleb, which might be a little more difficult than she thought. Blunk's seen the whole thing and has reported to Candracar, resulting in the Heart introducing the guardians to Julian.**

**The next chapter will involve more manipulation, a couple of introductions and towards the end, a confrontation!**

**Thank you so much for reading! I've gotten quite a lot of views for this story, but I'd love to read what you guys think so make sure to review!**

**Thank you **xaditix **for your kind words! **

**Take care**

**-Ashley**


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